Corvidae wine is something to crow about

IF THERE IS a harder working person in the wine business than David O'Reilly, I have yet to meet him or her. O'Reilly moved to Oregon about 20 years ago, did marketing for Elk Cove, where he met Peter Rosback, co-founded Sinean and Owen Roe in the mid-1990s, and has successively launched a series of well-thought-out brands under the Owen Roe umbrella ever since.

They are divided among several tiers: the O'Reilly label, which features an Irish wolfhound, is for value-priced Oregon wines; the Abbott's Table is a nine-grape blend; Sharecropper's offers moderately priced Washington cabernet and Oregon pinot. The Owen Roe wines are vineyard-focused, limited-production vineyard designates, packaged in weighty bottles with iconic photographs of Irish monuments.

O'Reilly makes at least as many Washington-grown wines as Oregon-grown and has become especially fond of Yakima Valley grapes, notably DuBrul. So fond, in fact, that he purchased the Outlook vineyard — 105 acres just west of DuBrul — and is leasing the old Apex winery in nearby Sunnyside, where he now makes his Washington wines.

That facility was once a dairy, and when I met with O'Reilly shortly after his purchase, he was planning to make Sunnyside Cream Winery wines, bottled in recyclable, quart-size milk jugs. "I want to bring people to Sunnyside and show people how wine is made, and make ourselves a destination," he said.

Sunnyside Cream is still on the drawing board, but another group of wines has just made its debut: six varietals that O'Reilly has branded Corvidae. This is the crow family and includes blue jays, magpies and ravens, among the most intelligent of all birds. Each of the labels is dedicated to one bird, with a unique graphic and a literary quote.

It may all sound highfalutin', but for me it makes the whole wine experience more thought-provoking. O'Reilly, who holds a degree in medieval philosophy from Thomas Aquinas University, clearly enjoys the intellectual stimulation that wine offers. "All you're doing for four years in college," he explains, "is trying to step back and look at Truth. It's helped my personal approach to winemaking."

Truth be told, the Corvidae wines have a marketing raison d'être as well. "The purpose of the brand," says O'Reilly, "is to work with affordable fruit. I don't add acid, I want to take what nature gave me and just pass it on. It's lovely having this brand; I can experiment."

The initial releases from Corvidae include a Wise Guy Sauvignon Blanc (not tasted); a Mirth Chardonnay (my Pick of the Week); and four excellent reds. The Corvidae 2007 Rook Cabernet- Syrah-Merlot blend ($13) is fruit forward, round and sweet, done in a balanced and accessible style. Attention restaurants: This wine is the consummate glass pour.

The Corvidae 2006 Lenore Syrah (also $13) quotes Edgar Allen Poe's "The Raven" while offering up a nice burst of boysenberry, sweet, toasty coffee and bitter chocolate. Good, honest and surprisingly substantial.

The Corvidae 2007 Fable Petite Sirah ($17) sports an Arthur Rackham illustration on the label and fruit from the Art Den Hoed vineyard. The name references an Aesop fable about a fox and a crow. "I have always thought that petite sirah was something of an impostor grape," says O'Reilly, "so I came up with this name." It's a grapy, forward wine, perfect for pizza. Nothing foxy about it.

Last and best is the Corvidae 2007 The Keeper Cabernet Franc ($17). Less than half the price of the Owen Roe Rosa Mystica bottling, this cab franc has real richness, dark fruits and thick, smoky tannins.

Paul Gregutt is the author of "Washington Wines & Wineries." Find him at www.paulgregutt.com or write to paulgwine@me.com.